Tetrameridae is a family of spirurian nematodes. It is the smallest of the large genera making up the bulk of the superfamily Habronematoidea. Like all nematodes, they have neither a circulatory nor a respiratory system. They are parasites, chiefly of birds and cetaceans.

Tetrameridae
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Nematoda
Class: Chromadorea
Order: Rhabditida
Superfamily: Habronematoidea
Family: Tetrameridae
Travassos, 1914
Subfamilies and genera

see text

Synonyms

This family contains the largest known nematode: Placentonema gigantissima is several meters long and has been found in the placenta of the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus).[1]

Systematics

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The Tetrameridae number about half a dozen genera only, but some are rather speciose; the type genus Tetrameres contains a lot of species even by nematode standards. While it might be overlumped, as presently delimited about half of the more than 100 species of Tetrameridae are placed in it.

Subfamily Crassicaudinae Yorke & Maplestone, 1926

Subfamily Geopetitiinae Chabaud, 1951

Subfamily Tetramerinae Travassos, 1914

References

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  1. ^ Gubanov, N. M. (1951-04-21). "Giant nematoda from the placenta of Cetacea; Placentonema gigantissima nov. gen., nov. sp." (PDF). Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR (in Russian). 77 (6): 1123–1125. ISSN 0002-3264. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 15, 2013.
  2. ^ Quentin, J. C.; Seureau, C.; Kulo, S. D. (1986). "Cycle biologique de Tetrameres (Microtetrameres) inermis (Linstow, 1879). Nématode Tetrameridae parasite du Tisserin Ploceus aurantius au Togo". Annales de Parasitologie Humaine et Comparée. 61 (3): 321–332. doi:10.1051/parasite/1986613321. ISSN 0003-4150. PMID 3813418.